Retractable shower screen

ABSTRACT

A retractable shower screen has a spring-biased roller with first and second ends; first and second brackets, mountable to opposed walls in a shower stall, for releasable respective mating engagement with the first and second ends of the roller; a flexible sheet having first and second longitudinal edges, the first longitudinal edge of the flexible sheet releasably attachable to the roller between the first and second ends; a sealing bar, releasably attachable to the second longitudinal edge of the second flexible sheet, for sealing the longitudinal edge of the flexible sheet to the shower stall; the spring-biased roller having a spring for rotating the roller, whereby the flexible sheet may be rolled onto and unrolled from the roller; a ratchet co-operating with the roller, the ratchet releasably engageable whereby, when engaged, the flexible sheet may only be unrolled from the roller, the engaged ratchet preventing retraction of the flexible sheets onto the roller; whereby when the ratchet is engaged the flexible sheet may be unrolled from the roller the flexible sheet then detachable from the roller.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of retractable shower screens and inparticular shower screens of the type comprising a screen retractablymounted on a roller housed in an elongate casing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,559 which issued Oct. 31, 1978 to David Kelly for"Shower Screen" describes a shower screen unit having a horizontalroller shaft to which an end region of an elongate sheet of material isattached. The roller shaft is supported in a substantially horizontalposition above the edge of a bath, for example, and is rotatable aboutits' longitudinal axis so that the elongate sheet of material can berolled up on the roller shaft: when not in use, or unrolled from theroller shaft to close off the shower area. Kelly teaches a furtherelement in combination comprising at least one freely rotatablewater-absorbent roller, parallel to the roller shaft, the absorbentroller pressing against the screen material so as to absorb water fromthe screen material as the screen material is rolled up on the rollershaft. Kelly also discloses that the roller screen operates in anidentical manner to a retractable window blind or alternatively that theroller shaft may be connected to an electric motor to roll up or unrollthe screen.

Meaden, U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,764, which issued Apr. 17, 1990 for aBathtub Shower Curtain Assembly, also teaches a retractable showercurtain. Meaden differs from Kelly in that the shower curtain retractshorizontally.

Massey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,960, which issued Jun. 29, 1976, for aRetractable Shower Shade with Adjustable Extensibility, discloses ashower roller-blind shade which retracts onto and depends from a rollerfor adjustably limited extension. The mountings for the roller arecombined with a housing which carries a wiper for stripping water fromthe inside wetted surface of the shade when the shade is extended orretracted. Opposed end plates act as anchors to anchor the housing androller to a shower stall. As the shade is extended, a nut is rotated onan elongate feed screw within the roller. The nut rotates along the feedscrew until its travel is ended against a stop at which point the rollercan be rotated no further, the extension of the shade being therebylimited. A releasable latch engages the nut once the nut reaches thestop. A pull rod releases the latch to allow the spring biased roller toretract the shade into the housing.

This invention relates to shower screen units of which the Kelly, Meadenand Massey devices are examples. It is an object of this invention toprovide an improvement in the means by which the shower screen material,that is, the elongate sheet, may be attached to the roller shaft and themeans for controlling the rolling and unrolling of the screen from theroller shaft.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvedroller shower screen unit in which the shower screen material is guidedvertically within wall tracks or rails and the shower curtain materialhas along its' lower-most edge a seal bar for mating with the edge of abathtub or shower stall basin, the ends of the seal bar releasablyengageable with the base of the wall tracks so as to inhibit the egressof water from the tub or shower stall.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a ratchet mechanismfor controlled unrolling of the shower screen from the roller shaft, soas to facilitate locking the shower screen in the unrolled position sothat the screen may be removed from the roller shaft for cleaning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The retractable shower screen of the present invention has aspring-biased roller having first and second ends, the ends of theroller fitting into first and second brackets mounted to opposed wallsin a shower stall. The roller ends releasably mate with the first andsecond brackets. A first sheet of flexible material having first andsecond longitudinal edges may be provided so that the first longitudinaledge of the first flexible sheet may be releasably attached to theroller between the ends of the roller. A second flexible sheet, theshower screen, having first and second longitudinal edges, is providedso that the first longitudinal edge of the second flexible sheet may bereleasably attached to the second longitudinal edge of the firstflexible sheet or directly to the roller if a first flexible sheet isnot incorporated. A sealing means is provided, releasably attachable tothe second longitudinal edge of the second flexible sheet, for sealingthe second longitudinal edge of the second flexible sheet to the sill ofthe shower stall basin.

The spring-biased roller has conventional spring biasing means forrotating the roller, whereby the first and second flexible sheets, whenattached, may be consecutively rolled onto and unrolled from the roller.

A ratchet is provided, mountable between the first bracket and the firstend of the roller. The ratchet may have a releasably engageable toothedgear and dog mechanism which co-operates with the roller to preventretraction of the flexible sheet or sheets onto the roller when theratchet is engaged. The ratchet maybe engaged by pivotally engaging thedog with the toothed gear. When the ratchet is engaged the secondflexible sheet may be unrolled from the roller so as to extend thesecond flexible sheet from the housing thereby exposing the firstlongitudinal edge of the second flexible sheet, and also exposing thesecond longitudinal edge of the first flexible sheet if incorporated,whereby the second flexible sheet may be detached from the firstflexible sheet or from the roller for cleaning.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is, in exploded perspective view, a shower stall and theretractable shower screen of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective partial cut-away view of a preferredembodiment of the retractable shower screen of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective partial cut-away view of the ratchetmechanism of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective cut-away view along line 4--4 in FIG. 3 of ouralternative embodiment of the ratchet mechanism of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an end-on side elevation view of the assembled retractableshower screen of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is, in perspective view, a ratchet mounting attachment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective partial cut-away view of an alternativeembodiment of the retractable shower screen of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is, in plan view, a shower screen rail for use in co-operationwith the retractable shower screen of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is, in plan view, an alternative embodiment of a shower screenrail.

FIG. 10 is, in plan view, a further alternative embodiment of a showerscreen rail.

FIG. 11 is, in end-on elevation view, an alternative embodiment of ascreen extension.

FIG. 12 is, in perspective view, an alternative embodiment of a wallmounting attachment.

FIG. 13 is, in exploded perspective view, an alternative embodiment of ascreen fastening means.

FIG. 14 is, in exploded perspective view, an alternative embodiment ofthe roller housing of the present invention,

FIG. 15 is, in perspective view, an alternative embodiment of theretractable drawer screen of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is, in perspective view, an alternative embodiment of theretractable shower screen of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 17a and 17b are perspective cutaway views of the roller housing,roller and ratchet mechanism of the retractable shower screen of thepresent invention.

FIG. 18 is an exploded view of FIG. 17b.

FIGS. 19a is a cross-sectional view along line 19a--19a in FIG. 17b.

FIG. 19b is a cross-sectional view along line 19b--19b in FIGS. 17a and18, that is, the cross-sectional view of FIG. 19a with the rollerhousing door open.

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective cutaway view of the wall rail, wallrail base, and seal bar of the retractable shower screen of the presentinvention.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment seal bar.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of a further alternative embodimentseal bar.

FIG. 23 is, in perspective view, an alternative embodiment wall railbase.

FIG. 24 is, in perspective view, an alternative embodiment rollerhousing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates how retractable shower screen 1 of the presentinvention cooperates with a shower stall 2. Shower stall 2 has opposedfacing side walls 2a and 2b and a catch basin 2c. The side walls and thecatch basin define a front opening which is used for access to theshower enclosure. Retractable shower screen 1 is mounted between sidewalls 2a and 2b and in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is clippedonto opposed facing moulded rails 2d.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, in a preferred embodiment retractable showerscreen 1 has spring-biased retractable roller shall 3 in which, at oneend, is fixedly mounted end cap 5. Spring-biased retractable rollershaft 3 may be of a conventional design incorporating at one end(conveniently the end opposed to the end of roller 3 mounted onto endcap 5) a conventional roller-blind spring assembly such as thatmanufactured by Stewart Hartshorn, a division of Cooper Industries,Sturgis, Mich., U.S.A. incorporating the biasing spring 3a seen in FIG.17a. End cap 5 has gear teeth 7 and axle 9 so that when fixedly mountedin roller shaft 3, gear teeth 7 extend radially outward from around therim of the roller shaft, and axle 9 extends from the roller shaft alongthe roller shaft longitudinal axis. Ratchet housing 11, illustrated inexploded detail in FIG. 3, supports ratchet lever 13 pivotally mountedwithin housing 11 above end cap receiving cavity 15 (see FIGS. 3, 4).

As also illustrated in FIG. 2, a strip of flexible material, referred toas a first flexible sheet or alternatively as screen extension 37, isattached to roller shaft 3 along a first longitudinal edge 39 of screenextension 37. The other longitudinal edge of screen extension 37,longitudinal edge 43, is attached to the top edge of shower screen 23.In particular, longitudinal edge 39 of shower screen extension 37slidingly mates in groove 41 (see FIG. 5). Groove 41 is a longitudinalgroove in roller shaft 3 as best seen in FIG. 5. Longitudinal edge 39fits snugly into groove 41. As may be seen, longitudinal edge 39 maycomprise a flexible rod or the like which is attached to longitudinaledge 39 or fitted into a sleeve formed in longitudinal edge 39.

Shower screen extension 37 has lower longitudinal edge 43. Lower edge 43may be releasably attachable to upper edge 45 of shower screen 23 eitherby Velcro™ or like releasable fasteners, or, in the preferred embodimentillustrated, by means of coupling rails 47a and 47b. Upper coupling rail47A is attached to lower edge 43 and, as illustrated in FIG. 5, may beattached by a sliding fitment. That is, lower edge 43 may slidingly matein an upper groove in upper coupling rail 47A.

Corresponding lower coupling rail 47B may similarly be attached to upperscreen edge 45 (see FIG. 5) so that screen 23 may be releasably attachedto screen extension 37 by hooking coupling rails 47a and 47b together asdepicted in FIG. 5.

As also illustrated in FIG. 2, sponge roller 49 rotates freely aboutaxle 51 journalled in axle mount 53 in ratchet housing 11.

Screen 23 has lower edge 55. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, seal bar 57 maybe slidingly mated or friction fitted (for example in the manner of aZIPLOCK (TM) releasable closure) onto lower screen edge 55, lower screenedge 55 again being a sliding male fit in upper groove 59 on seal bar 57In FIG. 5, screen 23 is shown fragmented, that is not shown in truerelative size. A lower groove 61 on seal bar 57 supports seal 63 in asliding fit. Seal 63 may be a resilient rubber or like material. Sealbar 57 also incorporates flanges 57a which act to cascade water awayfrom seal 63 and also provide a handle which may be gripped whenlowering seal bar 57 and screen 23. Typically, flanges 57a are notchedor otherwise cut-away at the ends of seal bar 57 to enable the ends ofseal bar 57 to travel vertically in wall tracks 95 (see FIG. 8).Alternative embodiments of seal bar 57 namely , seal bars 157, 257, 357,457 and 557 are illustrated in FIGS. 7, 13, 20, 21 and 22 respectively.

Roller housing 65 may provide an aesthetic cover for roller shaft 3,screen extension 37 and sponge roller 49. Housing 65 may, for example,be of plastic (see for example FIG. 2) or fabric (see FIG. 14) and maysnugly fit over the outside contours of ratchet housing 11 or otherwiseattach to ratchet housing 11. Alternatively ratchet housing 11 maysnugly fit within housing 65, thus requiting that housing 65 beattachable either directly to the shower stall side walls 2a and 2b, orto side wall mounting brackets such as side wall mounting brackets 67depicted in FIG. 6. Side wall mounting brackets 67 may be mounted toshower stall side walls 2a and 2b by screws or like fasteners (notshown) journalled in screw holes 69. Alternatively, as depicted in FIGS.12 and 18, retractable shower screen 1 may be supported between opposedfacing shower stall walls 2a and 2b by spring-biased mounting caps 117.Mounting caps 117 or, in an alternative embodiment, mounting caps 217,fit over the ends of roller housing 65 or, respectively, in analternative embodiment, over the ends of roller housing 165 and arebiased away from the ends of roller housing 65 or, respectively, rollerhousing 165 by springs 119 which act against bearing plates 120 to forcethe mounting caps or at least one of the mounting caps against showerstall side wall thereby fictionally holding retractable shower screen 1in place. The mounting caps may have removable mounting tabs, such asmounting tabs 117a which may be removed from mounting caps 117 ,whichmay be left permanently affixed either to, or partially behind, walltracks 95. Tabs 117a mate in a sliding fit with mounting caps 117. Asdepicted in FIG. 17, the mounting caps 117 may have access window 149through which a user may access the ratchet mechanism if it is desiredto manually manipulate the ratchet when lowering or raising screen 23,also, for example, when adjusting tension. This allows for adjustmentswithout having to take down retractable shower screen 1.

Within roller housing 65, as depicted in FIG. 5, stabilizing brackets 75may be provided for supporting sponge rollers 49 or, alternatively,wipers (see FIGS. 19a and 19b at 141a and 141b). Brackets 75 are mountedinto slots 77.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, ratchet dog 17 is pivotally mountedwithin housing 11, more specifically within ratchet dog cup 19, so as tobe rotatable within cup 19 against the returning spring biasing force orspring 21. End cap axle 9 is journalled in axle mount 25. Ratchet lever13 is pivoted about pin 27 journalled in pin receiving holes 29a and29b.

End cap 5, and therefore also roller shaft 3, are free to rotate in themanner of prior art retractable blinds when ratchet lever 13 is rotatedso as to disengage dog 17 from teeth 7. Ratchet lever 13 forces dog 17to rotate within cup 19 forcing gear engaging arm 17a against spring 21thereby compressing spring 21.

When it is desired to engage the ratchet mechanism to control theunrolling of shower curtain 23 from roller shaft 3, ratchet lever 13 ismoved in direction A thereby allowing dog 17 to be forced by spring 21into engagement with gear teeth 7. With gear engaging arm 17a engaginggear teeth 7, end cap 5, and thereby roller shaft 3, can only be rotatedin direction B, which coincides with rotating roller shaft 3 so as tounroll shower screen 23 from its' rolled up position on roller shaft 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, end cap 5 is held in place within end capreceiving cavity 15 by face plate 31. Face plate 31 has protrusions 33which friction fit into holes 35 in housing 11 for mounting face plate31 onto housing 11. Face plate 31 also acts to hold ratchet lever 13,ratchet dog 17, and spring 21 within their respective cavities withinhousing 11. Roller shaft 3 fits snugly within hole 38 in face plate 31.Roller shaft 3 is a tube which fits onto end cap 5 as end cap 5protrudes from face plate 31 when face plate 31 is mounted onto housing11.

FIG. 4 is a cut away view, along line 4--4 in FIG. 3 showing, inaddition, an alternative embodiment wherein friction gears 8 are drivenoff gear teeth 7 on end cap 5. Friction gears 8 rotate about screws 8awhich are secured to housing 11. Screws 8a may bear against washers 8b.Screws 8a may be tightened thereby increasing the frictional resistanceto the rotation of gears 8. Friction gears 8, with screws 8a tightened,act as a braking mechanism to slow the rotation of end cap 5. Slowingthe rotation of end cap 5 regulates the speed with which screenextension 37 and screen 23 is retracted and rolled up onto roller 3.

A further or alternative fiction mechanism for slowing the speed withwhich shower screen extension 37 and shower screen 23 are retracted ontoroller 3 is depicted in FIG. 5. Threaded bolt 22 is journalled inhousing 65 so that rotating bolt 22 moves resilient ball 22a towardsroller 3. When resilient ball 22a is brought into contact with roller 3,the frictional engagement between resilient ball 22a and roller 3 actsas a brake on the rotation of roller 3. Resilient ball 22a could also bea resilient longitudinal roller along the length of roller 3. A furthermeans of frictional braking is to constrain the ends of the seal bar,such as seal bar 57, snugly within wall tracks 95, the friction betweenthe seal bar and wall tracks 95 providing the frictional braking. It isunderstood that the function of the frictional braking mechanism,whether friction gears 8 or resilient ball 22a, is the controlledretraction of screen 23 onto roller 3 when seal bar 57 is released fromengagement with the sill of catch basin 2c.

Illustrated in FIG. 6 is a view of the back of ratchet housing 11.Flanges 71 form a sleeve into which slides wall mounting bracket 67,thereby mating flanges 73 snugly under flanges 71. Thus when mountingbracket 67 is mounted to shower stall side wall 2a or 2b, ratchethousing 11 may then be fitted onto mounting bracket 67 when installingretractable shower screen 1.

As set out above, seal bar 57 may have other embodiments such as thosedepicted in FIGS. 7, 20-22. As depicted in FIG. 7, 13 seal bar 157 hasupper flange 79 to which is affixed Velcro™ strip fasteners or likereleasable fasteners for detachably fastening lower edge 55 of screen 23to upper flange 79. Handles 81 are provided, mating in slots 83 in sealbar 157. Handles 81 may be used to lower and guide seal bar 157 whenunrolling screen 23. Seal 63 is mounted in sliding fit in channel 61A.Seal bar 157 has protrusions 85 which matingly engage inner scallopedsurface 87 on flanges 89. Flanges 89 are mounted to a base so as to Forma complete seal bar locking mechanism 91 mountable to the sill of ashower basin or the like (see FIGS. 7, 20, 22, 23). Seal bar 257 asdepicted in FIG. 13 has grooves 131 into which may be mounted handles,such as handles 57a or 81. As seen in FIG. 20, alternative seal bar 357may have handle end cap 147, shaped so as to releaseably mate, forexample, between flanges 89 in the form of spring clips.

As shown in FIG. 23, seal bar locking mechanism 91 may be mounted, oneat each end, in the comer formed between the edge or sill of showerstall catch basin 2c, and the shower stall side walls 2a and 2b. Lockingmechanisms 91 hold the seal bars 57 firmly engaged against the edge orsill of catch basin 2c so that the egress of water under the seal barsis inhibited by seal 63.

A further embodiment, not shown, of seal bar locking mechanism 91replaces protrusions 85 and mating scalloped surface 87 with a magneticlocking system whereby mating magnets would be respectively mounted, onefacing upwards from the base of locking mechanism 91 and thecorresponding magnet on the seal bar mounted facing downwards adjacentthe end of seal 63.

Shower screen 23 has vertical side edges 93. When screen 23 is deployed,that is, unrolled from shaft 3 so as to engage seal 63 with the edge orsill of catch basin 2c, edges 93 may be constrained within wall tracks95 as depicted in FIG. 8 or moulded rails 2d as depicted in FIG. 1. Walltracks 95 may be mounted to shower side walls 2a and 2b by screws 98 ortape or magnetic fasteners (not shown) between base 99 and wall 2a. Walltrack 95 may have hinged flange 101 pivotally mounted to base 99, forexample by flexible strip 103. Wall track 95 defines a sufficientlylarge channel so that when mounted vertically on wall 2a or 2b, the endsof the seal bar (or handle end caps 147) may travel vertically withinwall track 95. With screen 23 deployed, wall track 95 provides anaesthetically appealing valance covering edges 93.

When it is desired to remove the seal bar from screen 23, for examplewhen it is desired to remove screen 23 for cleaning, hinged flange 101is rotated about hinge 103 in direction C to facilitate removal.

An alternative embodiment of wall track 95 is illustrated in FIG. 9.Base 99A has barbed rails 105. Barbed rails 105 mate in correspondingcontoured grooves 107 in wall track flanges 109.

A further alternative embodiment of wall tracks 95 is illustrated inFIG. 10. In this embodiment wall track 95 is a unitary piece of extrudedU-shaped channel, possibly made of aluminum or plastic. Baffles 97 serveto inhibit the egress of water around the edges of screen 23 when screen23 is deployed and vertical side edges 93 are constrained within walltracks 95.

In an alternative embodiment of shower screen extension 37, showerscreen extension 37 and upper coupling rail 47a are replaced by flexiblestrip 37A illustrated in end-on profile in FIG. 11. Hook 111 is shapedto mate with lower coupling rail 47b and protrusion 113 is provided onflexible strip 37A to releasably lock the upper edge of lower couplingrail 47b into engagement with hook 111. Flexible strip 37A has bulboustop edge 115 for a sliding snug fit in longitudinal roller groove 41.

It is understood that other means of releasably coupling screenextension 37 to screen 23 may be employed or that coupling screenextension 37 may be omitted entirely and screen 23 mountable directlyonto roller 3 (as shown in FIG. 15). For example, as illustrated in FIG.13, shower screen extension 37 may be a flexible strip having a longedge 43 and a channel 118. Channel 118 may be formed as part of screenextension 37. Rigid clips 121, which may he made of PVC and the like,mate snugly in channel 118. In particular, rigid channel 123 snaps intoflexible channel 118 and are held firmly in place. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 15, screen 23 has resilient strip 135 which may asillustrated from a "T" in cross-section, attached to screen 23 bysewing, heat welding, adhesive or the like, which removably mates inlongitudinal roller groove 41 which may be correspondingly "T" infrictional engagement therein, for example by means of a ZIPLOCK (TM)type closure.

Pegs 125 releasably secure edge 45 of screen 23 against the clips 121mounted to screen extension 37 by a snug fit of peg ends 127 throughopenings 129 in screen 23 into mating engagement with rigid channels123. Alternatively, instead of screen 23 having openings 129, peg ends127 may be used to force a bite of screen 23 into channel 123 to therebyreleasably fasten screen 23 to screen extension 37. A similar releasablefastening system may be used to releasably fasten edge 55 of screen 23to the seal bar.

Also as illustrated in FIG. 13, screen 23 may have seams 133 formedalong one or both side edges 93, Seams may be by way of stitching,gluing or heat sealing if screen 23 is made of vinyl or the like. Screen23 may thus be trimmed to fit different sized shower stalls 2 by cuttingalong seams 133.

In an alternative embodiment, ratchet lever 13 is replaced with amechanism which by means of opening roller housing door 137 therebyallows ratchet lever 139 to be forced into engagement with gear teeth 7to control the unrolling of shower curtain 23 from roller shaft 3. Inparticular, as illustrated in FIGS. 16-19, opening door 137 in themanner shown in FIG. 19b engages ratchet lever 139 with gear teeth 7.Roller housing door 137 may be provided with wiper 141a. With rollerhoming door 137 closed, opposed wipers 141a and 141b act to trap screen23 between their respective resilient wiper blades. Thus retractingscreen 23 onto roller 3 wipes water from screen 23 by the squeegeeaction of wipers 141a and 141b.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12 may, as shown in FIG. 18, includean inner extrusion 143. Roller housing living hinge 145 is provided toallow roller housing door 137 to be opened on roller housing 65. Innerextrusion 143 allows for sliding mating of retainer 151 (for retainingbearing plate 120) into roller housing 65.

In a further embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 24, roller housing 65 mayhave bracket 153 mountable longitudinally along the one or both sides.Bracket 153 serves to hold either decorative inserts 155 (simulated tileor the like) or strip light sources (not shown) for illuminating theshower stall, such light sources manufactured by, for example, Black &Decker under the trade mark Snake Lite.

It is to be understood that references to flexible strip 103 or livinghinge 145, both pivot-type hinges, should also be taken to includecabinet or cylinder hinges known in the prior art, as, for example,cabinet hinges manufactured by Blum (TM) under the trade mark Blum ModulHinges.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of theforegoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible inthe practice of this invention without departing from the spirit orscope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to beconstrued in accordance with the substance defined by the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roller mountable shower screen comprisinganelongated spring-biased roller having first and second ends; said rollerhaving a biasing spring for spring assisted rotationally resilientrotation of said roller in a first rotational direction whereby saidscreen may be rolled onto said roller, said biasing spring adapted toallow reversed rotation of said roller in a second rotational directionopposed to said first rotational direction against a return resilientrotational biasing force of said biasing spring whereby said screen maybe unrolled from said roller; said shower screen detachably mountable tosaid roller along a first edge of said shower screen; releasableratcheting means co-operating with said first end of said roller forunidirectional unrolling in said second rotational direction of saidshower screen from said roller in a first direction when said ratchetingmeans is engaged in ratcheting engagement with said roller whereby saidshower screen is prevented from rolling back onto said roller; saidsecond end of said roller mountable in a support mountable to a showerstall surface for rotatably supporting said second end of said roller;said ratcheting means further comprising ratchet releasing means forselectively disengaging said ratcheting means from said ratchetingengagement with said roller.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said firstedge of said shower screen is detachably mountable along substantiallythe length of said roller,said ratcheting means comprising a ratchetgear affixed to said first end of said roller and co-operating with aresiliently-biased mating dog.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein saidsealing means comprises a bar having first and second longitudinaledges, said first longitudinal edge of said bar releasably attachable toa second edge of said shower screen opposed to said first edge, saidsecond edge releasably attachable to a seal, wherein said seal comprisesa strip of resilient material.
 4. The device of claim 3 wherein said barfurther comprises a longitudinal handle, said longitudinal handlecomprising a flange extending outwardly from said bar whereby saidflange may be grasped to lower in said first direction said showerscreen from said roller.
 5. The device of claim 4 wherein saidratcheting means is mountable between said first bracket and said firstend of said roller.
 6. The device of claim 5 further comprising anopposed pair of surface mountable guide channels for guiding betweenopposed shower stall surfaces, said bar and said shower screen withinsaid guide channels when said guide channels are mounted to said opposedshower stall surfaces.
 7. The device of claim 6 wherein said guidechannels comprise front and rear longitudinal sidewalls extendingsubstantially at right angles from said opposed shower stall surfaceswhen said guide channels are mounted to said shower stall surfaces, saidfront longitudinal side walls each rotatable about a longitudinal hinge,said longitudinal hinges adjacent to said shower stall surfaces whensaid guide channels are mounted to said shower stall surfaces.
 8. Thedevice of claim 7 further comprising a roller housing for covering saidroller and said shower screen when said shower screen is rolled ontosaid roller, said roller housing extending longitudinally along thelength of said roller and adapted at a first end of said roller housingto support said ratcheting means between said first bracket and saidfirst end of said roller.
 9. A retractable shower screen comprising:(a)a spring-biased roller having first and second ends mountable within anelongate housing for mounting in a shower stall; (b) first and secondbrackets, mountable to surfaces in said shower stall corresponding tosaid first and second ends, for releasable respective mating engagementof said first and second brackets with said first and second ends ofsaid roller; (c) first spring housing means for longitudinally biasingsaid first and second brackets in opposed directions against saidsurfaces in said shower stall; (d) a flexible sheet having first andsecond longitudinal edges, said first longitudinal edge of said flexiblesheet releasably attachable to said roller between said first and secondends; (e) sealing means, releasably attachable to said secondlongitudinal edge of said flexible sheet, for sealing said secondlongitudinal edge of said flexible sheet to an opposed surface of saidshower stall opposed to said surfaces in said shower stall correspondingto said first and second ends;said spring-biased roller having secondspring biasing means for rotationally resilient rotating of said roller,whereby said flexible sheet may be rolled onto and unrolled from saidroller; a ratchet co-operating with said roller, said ratchet releasablyengageable whereby when engaged said flexible sheet may only be unrolledfrom said roller, said engaged ratchet preventing retraction of saidflexible sheet onto said roller; whereby when said ratchet is engagedsaid flexible sheet may be unrolled from said roller so as to exposewithin said housing said first longitudinal edge of said flexible sheet,said flexible sheet then detachable from said roller.
 10. The device ofclaim 9 wherein said roller has a longitudinal groove adapted tofrictionally receive therein said first longitudinal edge of saidflexible sheet and said first longitudinal edge comprises a malefrictional mating means adapted to releasably frictionally engage saidlongitudinal groove in said roller.
 11. The device of claim 10 whereinsaid longitudinal groove and said male frictional mating means aregenerally "T"-shaped in lateral cross-section and are correspondinglysized for snug releasable mating of said male frictional mating means insaid longitudinal groove.
 12. The device of claim 11 wherein saidlongitudinal groove is elongate and said male frictional mating means iselongate so as to extend longitudinally along substantially the lengthof said roller when releasably mated into said longitudinal groove. 13.The device of claim 9 wherein said first longitudinal edge of saidflexible sheet is detachably mountable along substantially the length ofsaid roller,said ratchet comprising a ratchet gear affixed to said firstend of said roller and co-operating with a resiliently-biased matingdog.
 14. The device of claim 13 wherein said sealing means comprises abar having first and second longitudinal edges, said first longitudinaledge of said bar releasably attachable to said second longitudinal edgeof said flexible sheet, said second longitudinal edge releasablyattachable to a seal, wherein said seal comprises a strip of resilientmaterial.
 15. The device of claim 14 wherein said bar further comprisesa longitudinal handle, said longitudinal handle comprising a flangeextending outwardly from said bar whereby said flange may be grasped tounroll said flexible sheet from said roller.
 16. The device of claim 15wherein said ratchet is mountable between said first bracket and saidfirst end of said roller.
 17. The device of claim 16 further comprisingan opposed pair of surface mountable guide channels for guiding betweensaid opposed surfaces, said bar and said flexible sheet within saidguide channels when said guide channels are mounted to said opposedsurfaces.
 18. The device of claim 17 wherein said guide channelscomprise front and rear longitudinal sidewalls extending substantiallyat right angles from said surfaces in said shower stall when said guidechannels are mounted to said surfaces in said shower stall, said frontlongitudinal side walls each rotatable about a longitudinal hinge, saidlongitudinal hinges adjacent to said surfaces on said shower stall whensaid guide channels are mounted to said surfaces in said shower stall.19. The device of claim 18 further comprising a roller housing forcovering said roller and said flexible sheet when said flexible sheet isrolled onto said roller, said roller housing extending longitudinallyalong the length of said roller and adapted at a first end of saidroller housing to support said ratchet between said first bracket andsaid first end of said roller.
 20. The device of claim 9 wherein saidflexible sheet comprises trimming seams formed in said flexible sheet inparallel spaced apart array parallel to at least one edge of saidflexible sheet so as to allow trimming of strips of flexible sheetmaterial from said at least one edge of said flexible sheet whereby saidflexible sheet may be sized to accommodate different sized showerstalls.
 21. The device of claim 1 wherein said roller has a longitudinalgroove adapted to frictionally receive therein said first edge of saidshower screen and said first edge comprises a male frictional matingmeans adapted to releasably frictionally engage said longitudinal groovein said roller.
 22. The device of claim 21 wherein said longitudinalgroove and said male frictional mating means are generally "T"-shaped inlateral cross-section and are correspondingly sized for snug releasablemating of said male frictional mating means in said longitudinal groove.23. The device of claim 22 wherein said longitudinal groove is elongateand said male frictional mating means is elongate so as to extendlongitudinally along substantially the length of said roller whenreleasably mated into said longitudinal groove.
 24. The device of claim1 wherein said shower screen comprises trimming seams formed in saidshower screen in parallel spaced apart array parallel to at least oneedge of said shower screen so as to allow trimming of strips of showerscreen material from said at least one edge of said shower screenwhereby said shower screen may be sized to accommodate different sizedshower stalls.